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Wednesday, 14 September 2011

Whats Münster taught me?

So its a post marathon recovery week for me, which means that im not running much and have lots of spare time on my hands that i would normally have been training in. So its a perfect time to stop and review my buildup and exectuion, to see what lessons can be learnt, what worked, and what didnt. First off a look at Raceday.

First off and foremost, Race day adrenaline if kept under control at the start can give you a welcome surprise in the end.

The pacing tactic to slowly ramp up into race pace worked a treat, not only did it help to conserve karbohydrate levels it also creates a strategy thats bassed on a negative split which is contrary to most other runners and means you will be passing people towards the end of the race.

Comparing the Marathon to my HM Attempts i run better when i am able to pass people. rather than have them pass me.

In Vieena i drank water on raceday, only stopping 2hrs before the race, and took water at each station. For Münster i didnt, have any excess drink at all pre-race, and only took a minimal sip at the water stations, (excluding fluids consumed with gels) In Vienna i ran with a full bladder, in Münster i didnt, and wasnt dehydrated at the end either.

During the race i used water from the drink stations to wet my clothes and skin, this helped to keep me cool, a half cup of water poored over my chest was absorbed by the clothing and didnt result in water logged shoes.

At the drink stations take at least two cups.

Having the 5k times written down on a pace chart worked really well, especially as a garmin runs out of sync with the official race distance as you run off blue line.

You can still pull back a good few minutes over the last 10k if your feeling good. So stay in control and run to plan for your goal upto there, especially if the weather is uncertain.

My pre race fueling worked really well, a good breakfast 4hrs before the race, protein bar 2hrs out, and 1st gel with 200ml of water 15 mins prior to the start is a good combination for me.

In race fueling at 5, 15, 25, & 35 Km also worked well for me.

Ah yes, and last but not least believe in yourself and trust in your training.